Today's News

When Galax Police Sgt. Jim Spence retired from the department a couple of weeks ago to take a job in Afghanistan with a contracted canine service out of Florida, the hardest part was not only saying goodbye to his family, but turning over his four-legged companion of three years to Officer Jacob Vaughan.

An explosion that started in the dust collection system at Vaughan-Bassett Furniture on Tuesday morning damaged a storage trailer used for sawdust, said Galax Fire Chief David Hankley.
The Galax Volunteer Fire Department stayed on scene for three hours while it tracked down the fire in two silos.
Most employees were sent home for the day, but the factory was running back to normal on Wednesday. Some Vaughan-Bassett Furniture employees worked to clean out the silos through the night.

INDEPENDENCE — Last November, Fries Middle School Principal Elizabeth Brown stood before the Grayson County school board as the leader of the only school in its division that was not fully accredited.
“We’re going to make it this year,” Brown said during the meeting nearly a year ago. “I just know it.”

HILLSVILLE — The new Carroll County emergency services director has served as both a volunteer and paid member in fire and rescue work, as a fire chief, and headed emergency services in South Carolina.
James “Mike” Mock Jr., of Pawleys Island, S.C., started transition Sept. 7 as successor to Joe Roma, who had been in the Carroll position for five years.

HILLSVILLE — The Carroll School Board will accept sealed bids on about four acres behind the former Hillsville elementary school on Oak Street, and the proceeds will go towards school improvements.
The school board made the decision at Tuesday's meeting, after holding a public hearing during which no citizens spoke.
This involves three pieces of land, consisting of tracts of 1.861 acres, 2.09 acres and .25 acres, according to information from the school board.

INDEPENDENCE — Gov. Bob McDonnell has declared September as National Preparedness Month, a time to encourage taking simple steps to prepare for emergencies in our homes, businesses and communities.
Preparing for emergencies is something that every citizen should consider, the proclamation states, and the Grayson County Board of Supervisors heartily endorsed the measure during a meeting Sept. 9.

The Twin County Airport Commission will hold a meeting on Monday at 1 p.m. at the Crossroads
Institute in Galax.
This meeting is being held to discuss the future
development of the airport, with regards to the Wildwood development area near the Airport at Exit 19, in particular the lengthening of the runway.
Some representatives will be present to detail the steps involved with a project of this magnitude.

The Galax football team doesn’t hear a lot of talk from its coaching staff about going 10-0. The Maroon Tide does hear a lot about getting better.

That’s where teams like Eastern Montgomery and Radford come in mighty handy.

Though the Maroon Tide (2-1) suffered its first loss of the season Friday at EastMont, and may play a state championship-caliber team tonight in Radford, those are the games that make a better football team, not the 40-point shutout wins.